


New Lords

by Bagell



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: (probably), Alternate Universe - Human, Fandom AU, Fluff, Maybe - Freeform, No Angst, On Hiatus, Slow Burn, artist izzy, cosplayer clary, dad luke, fanfic writer maia, gore artist izzy, ill add more as the story progresses, mild angst in the future, please im so bad at tags, probably, the author's first chaptered fic please be gentle, writer maia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2019-10-04 10:42:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17303135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bagell/pseuds/Bagell
Summary: Clary, Maia, and Isabelle are all part of the New Lords fandom. They cosplay, write fanfiction, and make fanart, respectively. All three of them have a pretty large following, their work thoroughly celebrated between other fans of the show.It’s not until they all coincidentally upload new stuff on the same day that they interact with each other beyond a few stiff compliments.And maybe the interaction is absolutely wonderful. Maybe they’ve missed out on so much by not talking before. Maybe this could even grow into something more.But none of them let themselves think that. After all, it’s the Internet. It’s not like they’ll ever meet.[ON HIATUS]





	1. New Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> hello! so, this is my first chaptered fic, as well as one of my first times writing clary, izzy, and maia (the characters. it's also my first time writing the ship). please be gentle with me, and enjoy!
> 
> beta'd by the lovely [alistoney](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alistoney/pseuds/alistoney)! please please please check their fics out, they're the sweetest human being and they literally made me smile two seconds ago, and also they're one of my favorite writers ever. 
> 
> [trigger warning for this chap// descriptions of gore drawings]

Clary sits on the floor of her Professional Studio (her room, which is named Jerry, to clarify. She is not rich enough to have a Professional Studio for her side job, and her boss won’t let her use the office for her “hobby”. Locals), finishing up a stitch on a wide tomato colored skirt. It’s the base of a ball gown she’s designed and is making for an upcoming au cosplay.

She hits a button on her camera, rested on a stand above her, to stop recording and reaches for her phone across the carpet. Quickly, she snaps a picture of the finishing stitch and adds it to her pinned thread on her cosplay account, typing a few details and a short “ **video process coming soon!** ”

Immediately, she gets a reply from someone with a very bloody looking profile picture.

“ **so excited for your next cosplay! the design looks exquisite.** ”

Clary’s lips quirk up. It’s always nice to have some positivity amongst cut-throat fandom enthusiasts.

(Not that Clary isn’t completely invested in her fandom. She is. She’s just a very fluffy, could-not-hurt-a-living-person fandom enthusiast. Except homophobes. God she hates homophobes.)

She types out a reply and sets her phone down, about to start the next section when she remembers that she  _ can’t _ . She needs either gold or dark blue-green trim. The thing is, she needs one, not both, and while she’d prefer the bluish one, she can’t find one that matches the exact color she wants (which would be slightly darker than Copics’ B99 marker, thank you very much). And then beyond that, she’s indecisive as fuck.

It’s a ball gown. For Leonhard. Her second favorite character. Her  _ child _ .

To put it in terms locals could understand, if she messes this up, she will  _ cry _ tears of  _ blood _ .

At least the lace sleeves are done. Those were a pain in the  _ ass _ . Literally, she was sat on her ass for 3 hours getting those to the correct measurement. Now she just has to attach them to the bodice, but she doesn’t want to do that until she has the  _ trim _ .

Fucking colors. Fucking details.

With a petty huff, she sits up from where she’s flopped into a pancake on the carpeted floor and blows the hair from in front of her face. She lifts the skirt delicately off her lap, a contrast to the angry way she was pounding it with her fist while musing, and walks it over to a tall stool, draping it over the wood.

Nodding at her work, Clary grabs her keys and a coat and marches out the door.

She needs coffee to calm her enraged creative whimsings. Or fuel. She purses her lips. That could work too. Some of her best work has been churned out from pure productive rage. Like that fairy Nora cosplay. Her eyes slip closed in bliss.

_ God that was a good cosplay. _

And a ridiculously good fanfiction writer she loves had retweeted it, so maybe,  _ just maybe _ , Clary had ascended a little bit.

Spinning her keys around her finger, Clary’s swaying her hips as she enters Java Jace, a song stuck in her head.

Her eyes glaze over the menu, but she’s not really reading it. She can’t remember where that song is from and it’s kind of  _ killing  _ her.

_ Iced caramel latte is probably too cold for this very strangely chilly summer day, and I’m only wearing a tank top under this coat. _ Clary starts humming in the middle of her thoughts.  _ Who am I kidding? Definitely getting that latte. Hum dee, da-da dee dumm, ba da dummmmmmmm… _

Clary’s brow is furrowed as she gets closer to the counter.

It is when she suddenly bursts into a cough that she remembers.

Right, it’s called  _ Before We Dawn _ , and it played when Nora and Leonhard kissed for the second time.

Also, Clary is choking.

She did, after all,  _ randomly _ , burst into a disgusting sounding hack, but she absolutely  _ cannot _ be blamed for this.

There are multiple reasons she’d argue that the fault should not be put on her.

As an artist, Clary is a strong believer in the importance of colors, within and surrounding the objects they characterize. For example, green liquids are blaring signals that mean “run away as fast as you can”.  _ People drinking _ green liquids means “nosedive out the nearest window”, because who in the right fucking mind would even touch a liquid that is green, much less let something as precious as their stomach ingest the substance. It is the largest red flag that could ever be waved. In Clary’s dumb mind, it is  _ law _ .

Clary is about to break a law.

Because the person outside the giant cafe windows currently guzzling a disgusting evergreen smoothie hybrid like it’s their lifeline has the most perfect bone structure she’s ever seen. Also, sweat. Sweaty hair pulled into an ebony ponytail. Clary had sworn off the word “ebony” after her wattpad fic days but Christ that is real life ebony hair and Clary is madly in love. With a person drinking a green liquid.

She disgusts herself more and more each day.

It is with that disgust in mind that she, in a very dignified manner she’ll assure you, is called to attention by a loud clearing of someone’s throat.

Clary steps up to order her latte, distracted only by what looks like a snort that the ebony-haired person lets out at something on their phone, said ponytail swinging limply. Her attention is also attracted to a set of abs below the runner’s sports bra.  _ Christ _ .

They’re  _ adorable _ ( _ and _ hot), and she turns just in time to see the smallest, pink lipped smile shaping their face.

Something in her little lesbian heart  _ dies _ .

But she turns back to the counter, makes her order with little other fanfare (except for checking out the cute afro’d person making her drink, who gives her the most stunning, almost  _ appraising _ , grin with just a hint of something else) and sweeps out of the cafe, intent on deciding which trim to pick out.

She will pick a color if it’s the last thing she does this day.

(She says to herself, pretending her mind isn’t going directly back to the two infinitely attractive people she’d just seen in the cafe.)

-

Maia rushes to her phone as soon as she goes on break, immediately going to Twitter and signing in to her stan account.

She taps the search button and types “@cosfrays” faster than she’s typed out anything in her  _ life _ , getting her reward quickly as the quirky redhead profile pops up. Maia clicks on the media part of her profile, scrolling through pictures and letting out a breath of confirmation.

She just met, well, not met,  _ saw _ ,  _ interacted with _ ,  _ Cosfrays _ , one of the coolest cosplayers in the New Lords fandom.

She just talked to  _ Clary Fairchild _ .

What the  _ fuck _ .

Simon walks into the break room before she can go on an internal rant in her head about every single incredible work that Cosfrays has done, which is perfect really because now she can go on an  _ external _ rant about every single incredible work that Cosfrays has done.

Simon tosses the towel that’s over his shoulder onto a table (which, gross) and slings off his apron. Without preamble, he points his finger at Maia, raising an eyebrow. “You okay? You look like someone just gave you a photo album of 5000 pictures from a single coral reef,” he pauses, grinning and looking off to the side, incredibly smug. “I would know. ‘Cause I did.”

Maia somehow manages to roll her eyes while still under severe starstruck panic, and replies, “I know, you  _ did _ , and it was wonderful, and you are the greatest best friend but Simon Lewis  _ listen I just met Clary Fairchild _ .”

Simon blinks.

Maia saves him the shame of asking “who?” by flinging her phone at his face.

He catches it, miraculously.

Quirking an eyebrow, he scrolls through the photos, eyes widening. “Damn,” he almost whistles. “They’ve got talent.”

“She,” Maia quickly cuts in. “Pronouns in bio.” She snatches her phone back, scrolling down through the months to find a certain picture, letting her mind freak out be heard by Simon. “And  _ I know, right?? _ She’s freaking  _ incredible _ . Like,” she finds the picture and shoves it under his nose. “ _ Look _ at this.”

It’s a picture from five months ago, of Clary lounging on a beach with a homemade mermaid tail clinging tightly to her hips. She designed a half corset and used makeup and additional scales to make the tale look like it was real, coming out from her waist and under her breasts. Paired with the fins she’d fixed on her arms and sides and the gills she’d drawn onto her neck and chest, she looks  _ ethereal _ .

This time Simon’s jaw drops, just a little bit, and Maia feels herself grinning in smug satisfaction.

Which doesn’t even make sense, because it’s not like  _ she _ designed and made the costume.

Maia finds herself whining out, “And she’s dressed as  _ Josette _ here. Whose every minute of screen time makes me the gayest person I’ve ever been. A  _ mermaid Josette _ . That’s like, illegal.”

Simon chuckles out of his stupor when Maia pulls back her phone to swoon again over the photo. She’s scrolling through more pictures from the shoot when Simon says easily, hopping onto the table next to her, “Leave it to you to get all hot and bothered by a fish version of your fave.”

Maia chokes on a laugh, making a face. “There was literally no need to phrase it that grossly, but yeah, sure, I’m basically in love with her. Look at this  _ talent _ ,” she groans, not letting Simon actually see the pictures she’s scrolling through in her intense appreciation.

Simon laughs again and swings his legs. “Wait, so you said you  _ met _ her?”

Maia finally looks up from her phone, nodding. “Yeah, she was the pretty redhead like an hour ago who ordered an iced caramel latte.”

Simon squints. “You went an entire hour without sprinting to your phone or having a full fan breakdown?”

“ _ Listen _ , it took me a good forty minutes to remember where exactly I remembered her face from, and I’ve had  _ Dungeons _ on my mind! I’m planning on publishing the next chapter this week! It’s been so long since I updated it.”

“Okay, fair,” Simon said, unconvinced. “Did you at least write your number on the cup?”

Maia shrinks. “...No?”

“ _ Maia! _ ”

“I am a stupid bisexual writer and I was in the middle of very important stupid bisexual writer thoughts! You can’t blame me for this! When’s the last time you talked to your date from Wednesday?”

“Wednesday?”

“ _ See? _ Pansexual disaster! You can’t talk.”

Simon rolls his eyes. “I can actually, because that date was boring as all hell while  _ you _ are actually interested.”

Maia’s pursing her lips, about to retort when the break room door swings open. Mindy, one of their coworkers is raising an eyebrow in the doorway. “Yo, breaks over, get back here before Jace yells at you.”

“Isn’t Jace on vacation?”

“Yeah, whatever, I just don’t want to be alone out here.”

Simon ruffles their hair on the way out. “D’awww you love us.”

Maia snorts at the interaction.

Skilled cosplayers aside, Maia has a summer job to get back to.

-

Izzy finishes up her run, takes a quick selfie, and unlocks the door to her and her siblings’ shared apartment. She undoes her ponytail and walks to the kitchen, taking her mug from the cupboard. It’s a black little mug she’s had for years, one that says “#SaveShadowhunters” on it. None of her family knows what it means, but their mom found it in the back of one of the cabinets in their childhood home and it’s been Isabelle’s ever since. She likes it. Something about it says “hope”.

After a few minutes of lazily drinking water while sitting on the kitchen counter, she takes a shower, stepping out of the steamy bathroom later in a fluffy robe to flop on the couch. She grabs her phone, checking a certain tab for the fiftieth time that day only to frown.

_ Dungeons _ still hasn’t updated.

And yeah she  _ knows _ that the author said she wasn’t going to update as frequently after the last three updates came shockingly close together, something about travelling for the summer.

But it’s been a solid  _ two months _ now.

She keeps that to herself though, knowing writing is out of her field and pestering the author will do no good for anyone. She’d feel awful, honestly. Plus, two months isn’t even close to the longest time she’s waited for a chapter of a fic.

So instead, Izzy gets out her thick sketchbook and sets to work on a hanahaki piece.

And immediately discards that because traditional art has not been working for her lately.

She groans. It’s been forever since she’s done a traditional drawing and stuck with it until completion. She doesn’t know what’s wrong with her.

Art block is an absolute  _ asshole _ .

She stalks over to her room, lugging her pen tablet and laptop from her desk and into the living room, sinking back into her earlier sprawl.

At least digital art has been alright. This drawing of Nora pulling a fairy version of Leonhard’s guts from her body and eating them has been going splendidly.

She opens up another layer and selects a greenish yellow hue to add a sickly glow to Leon’s wings. Izzy frowns. This brush isn’t suited for fairy wings.

She spends a good twenty minutes trying out different brushes and another three hours on the drawing.

_ Maybe I can upload this today _ , she thinks, almost giddily, as the front door swings open. Jace walks in wearing only swim trunks and a towel over his shoulder, dripping wet.

“Izzy?” he calls out, eyes soon landing on the pile of white robed fluff huddled on the couch. “You eaten lunch yet?”

Izzy doesn’t even look up from her tablet, adding a few lines and textures to the blood leaking from Nora’s nails. “Nope, why?”

“It’s 2 in the afternoon.”

“Have you?”

“No,” he starts, and Izzy finally looks up, staring at him pointedly. Jace continues, “because I had a feeling you wouldn’t have had yours yet. And I was right.”

Izzy groans. “Look, I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

Jace grins. “Yeah, only you would be holed up in a pile of fluff doing more work on your day off.”   
  
“This isn’t work. I enjoy this.”

“Still working.” Jace peels the tablet from her hands, much to Izzy’s chagrin. “Stop whining and giving me puppy dog eyes, we’re in our twenties.”   
  
“They still work on you and Alec literally all the time,” Izzy says, cutting off her own mewls of disapproval only to sneak some of her usual snark in.

Jace rolls his eyes, neglecting to comment. “C’mon. Get dressed and let’s go get some food.”

It’s only then that Izzy notices his attire. “You went to the beach on a 60 degree day?”

“Yeah, so?”

“It’s windy. You’ll catch a cold.”

“I’ll survive. I like the beach. Plus, it wasn’t supposed to be cold.”

“But it is cold, regardless of what it was ‘supposed to be’.” Izzy shakes her head, finally getting up to put some clothes on. “Just don’t end up in my morgue.”

Izzy’s finding an outfit (purple would be a good color for today she thinks) when she hears Jace squawk from the other room. “Jesus, Izzy, what the fuck?”

She snorts as she pulls her head through the collar of a light plum sweater. “Glad you like the drawing Jace. Anything I should add?”

“A trigger warning, maybe?”

She rolls her eyes, strutting overdramatically into the room, Jace having dressed as well. “Please, I have a gore account. I already put trigger warnings on everything. It’s common courtesy.” She does a spin, black skirt fanning out and pumps clicking as she turns. “Now, outfit.”

Jace looks her over. “Classy. Stunning as always.” He tosses her a hairband. “Try half up half down. The loose hair isn’t providing enough contrast.”

Izzy saunters over to the mirror near the front door, tying her hair as recommended. She nods at her reflection. “Thank you, Jace. Genius as usual.”

He claps her on the back, throwing on a simple jacket and unlocking the door. 

“In all seriousness though, sorry for scaring you. And genuinely, is there anything I should add to the drawing or change?” Izzy asks nervously as they head out, Jace locking the door behind them.

Jace tucks his hands into his pockets, thinking. They’ve covered a good half block before he speaks again. “Is there any specific direction you want to go with it? Like, is there a story behind it, or can it be ambiguous?”

“It’s more ambiguous.”

Jace grins at that, wolfishly. “Then add more chaos. You have the blue haired one covered in blood messily eating the other dude’s guts while the other guy’s only bleeding from the wound. Cake them both in blood and mud. It’s too tame right now. Tie the drawing together as a whole. It feels unbalanced, like only one is feeling anything. And I get that there’s beauty in unbalance but somehow that doesn’t feel right here.”

Izzy smiles a bit, nodding. “You totally recognize these characters.”   
  
“Well, yeah. You draw them all the time. And they’re always equal. Making them  _ not _ doesn’t feel correct, at least not here.”   
  
Izzy nods more, smile growing. She turns to look at him. “Yeah, yeah you’re absolutely right.” Her smile turns into a smirk then. “And all from my past drawings, huh? Are you sure you haven’t started watching New Lords? Joined the fandom?”

Jace shoves her. “Fat chance. I’m not joining another fandom, not after accidentally falling into the Rick and Morty fanbase.” He shudders.

Izzy cackles, and they start talking about lunch.


	2. New Uploads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She giggles, looking up at him. “Thank you,” she says, smiling softly. Because no matter how many times she does this, how many times he has to help her, he always honestly compliments and loves her craft, and she’s ever thankful for it. “Now,” she bops his nose. “I’m super glad to hear that because,” she saunters over to the side table, picking up a Sony Alpha. “You’re gonna have to take pictures of me for the next hour.”
> 
> -
> 
> Clary finishes her Leonhard cosplay.  
> Maia updates Dungeons.  
> Izzy posts a new gore art.
> 
> And the fandom pushes them together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is unbeta'd and not nearly my best work but i really wanted to get a chapter out even though the inspiration wasn't really coming (so sorry if it's bad!)
> 
> as usual, hope you enjoy!

Clary has the four string ends of her corset in her hands, behind her back. She tugs. And feels something snap.  _ Panic _ .

No, this is fine. Everything is fine, the corset hasn’t fallen to pieces yet, this is  _ alright _ .

She shuts her eyes.  _ Breathe _ . 

Right. She can’t breathe because she’s in a fucking  _ corset _ . She squeezes her eyes shut tighter, whining. Clary groans. “ _ Luke! _ ”

She hears Luke downstairs heave a sigh and smiles to herself. A moment later, he’s in the doorway. “What’s up kiddo?” Luke enters, immediately surveying the carnage.

It’s the fourth time she’s called him up in the last 16 minutes so he’s understandably pressed.

She smiled up at him sheepishly from her spot splayed on the floor, dressed in only the corset, a pair of puffy linen shorts, and a collar, dark hair from her wig tumbling across her shoulders. “Tie my corset?”

Luke sighs. “Kiddo, you’re not wearing anything else right now.”

“I know.”   
“If you tie the corset first you won’t be able to put on your stockings, your shoes, or do anything.” He frowns. “You probably won’t even be able to get off the ground. Put on your stockings first.”   
Clary gets up, deciding not to comment because her dad is incredibly right and for a twenty-six year old who has been cosplaying for around a decade, she is suitably embarrassed.

She tugs herself into the lace stockings Luke hands her and pins the fake braids to her wig. She tugs some of her own hair out of the front and fixes herself in the mirror so the orange peeks through black in the shape of Leonhard’s highlights. It’s a little exaggerated for Leo’s hair, she usually has less but Clary quite likes the extra flare and so do her followers, so it works.

With Luke’s help, she steps into the skirt and attaches the clips onto the bottom edges of her corset. She pulls the cloth sewn to the top of the corset over her chest and hooks it to the underside of the collar, then flips her collar back down. Luke helps her tug her arms into the sleeves.

Grinning, her dad pulls one of her hands up and Clary lets out a small smile, twirling under it. He ties her corset tight (Clary chokes only a little), and spins her around again, fixing the black jewel she’d placed on a side table to the hook on her collar. 

Looking her over one last time, he fixes the hair on the side of her face and cups her jaw, placing a kiss on his daughter’s forehead. “You look beautiful.”

She giggles, looking up at him. “Thank you,” she says, smiling softly. Because no matter how many times she does this, how many times he has to help her, he always honestly compliments and loves her craft, and she’s ever thankful for it. “Now,” she bops his nose. “I’m super glad to hear that because,” she saunters over to the side table, picking up a Sony Alpha. “You’re gonna have to take pictures of me for the next hour.” She places the camera dutifully into his hands.

Luke lets his head fall back, fake groaning loudly. “The torture,” he says easily, a loving glint in his eyes. 

Clary spins, only tripping slightly on her underskirt. “You love me!” she singsongs as she flounces out the door.

“I do!”

“That’s what I like to hear! I love you too, dad!”

Luke shakes his head and heads out the door after her.

 

“Simon, it’s not like I’m gonna see her again. You’ve worked there for what, 7 months? And you haven’t seen her before.” Maia has the phone pressed between her ear and shoulder, hands preoccupied with painting her toenails. She frowns. This blue doesn’t match the green.

“You don’t know that. Plus, I never noticed her much before because it’s not like I memorize the faces of every customer. Also, I don’t take every shift. Maybe she happens to come a lot, but on days I’m not there. She was just  _ someone _ before, if I ever saw her. I wasn’t really on the lookout for her or anything,” Simon rambles from the other side of the line.

Maia rolls her eyes. It’s a week after she happened to sell a latte to Clary Fairchild and also the seventh or eighth time she's had this conversation with Simon. “Okay, fine,” she indulges. “Say I saw her again, wrote my number on the cup like some cheesy romcom or say, ‘Hey I know you!’ like some creep, what then? I get to know her, or I don’t, and then at the end of summer, which is in like, two months, I go back to California.” She winces a bit at her own last sentence, hearing something in Simon wilt a little.

“So what if you go back to California? We were long distance friends for years before this summer!”

“But we met in high school  _ in person _ and stayed friends through the years. Plus it’s not like this is my first time coming over. I visit you in New York every summer.”

“Which is exactly why you should chance it with Clary. You have plenty of opportunities to see her.”

Maia groans, but caves. “That’s  _ if _ I ever see her again.”

“ _ When _ . Not if. And that wasn’t a no, Roberts!”

Maia laughs. “Talk to you later, Lewis.” She hangs up.

It’s not like she doesn't want to see Clary again. But all she knows about Clary is through her cosplay account. And sure she seems so cute and sweet when she accepts compliments to her work (which is so deserved), and she loves interacting with other people in the fandom, not to mention she's  _ so pretty _ …

But the fact is that Maia doesn't know her. And she doesn't know how to reach out.

So instead, Maia caps her nail polish and decides to finish editing Chapter 16 of Dungeons and get it posted.

It looks okay, she thinks, but she has to check in with her beta first.

<sent to:  **gret** >: **hey you free right now? ch16 is done if you're free**

Gretel responds to her text before Maia even puts her phone down.

<received from:  **gret** >:  **at the gym but ill read it in around 20 minutes?**

<sent to:  **gret** >: **gym? who *are* you?**

<received from:  **gret** >:  **shut upppp**

<sent to:  **gret** >: **wait this is definitely about that tinder girl you ranted about for 3 hours. what was her name?**

<received from:  **gret** >:  **and that's my cue to leave. see you on the doc in 20 mins!**

<sent to:  **gret** >: **curse you. i'll get information out of you one day. you can't hide sarah forever!!!**

<received from:  **gret** >:  **rebecca. who the fuck is sarah?**

<sent to:  **gret** >: **aha!!! a NAME!!! the oldest tricks in the book *do* work**

<received from:  **gret** >:  **fuck off you already knew her name**

<sent to:  **gret** >: **whatever. go do your gym shit**

<received from:  **gret** >:  **you mean working out?**

<sent to:  **gret** >: **YoU mEaN wOrkInG oUt?,?,?,????,?**

<received from:  **gret** >:  **yeah okay fuck you bye**

Maia laughs loudly at the conversation, tossing her head back. She turns her phone off and turns to her laptop, looking over the comments on chapter 15.

She savors the “B L E S S”, the “aww how cute” and the “i'm so soft rn”, typing quick thank you’s and internally cackling to herself in delight at imagining how quick these sweet people will turn into betrayed sobs after she releases chapter 16.

There are a few long comments, which are the best, and she reads them over and over, tearing up at a few. Sometimes people are the sweetest.

Like this one person,  **writingviolets** , who gushed for about eight lines on the Nora and Klay flashbacks. They even said it reminded them of their fifth grade best friend and Maia imploded.

Then there’s  **noragores** , who’s been commenting on  _ every single chapter _ . Some short comments that are always still so sweet, and sometimes longer ones. Maia’s pretty sure she’s saved each and every one.

Gretel’s edits are on the doc when she gets back to it, and she changes things and talks with her about it for the next half hour before getting on Archive and writing the chapter summary.

She clicks post with a fiendish grin, already anticipating the anger and screaming before moving to stan Twitter to change her pinned tweet to one about the newest chapter update.

She’s giddy, honestly. Maia loves this part, the uploading a new chapter and the yelling in response. She loves seeing people point out things she’d intended for the reader to notice or mull over, and she loves when people point out happy little accidents or things she didn’t think would be of importance. Sometimes it changes how the story will go. Sure, she writes for herself but she thinks she’s incredibly lucky that so many people happened to click on Dungeons and  _ like _ it so much. It’s a bit of an ego boost, plus it makes her feel soft as hell.

So she sits back, and she waits.

 

Izzy puts the finishing touches on Leo’s blood soaked hair (matted down to her forehead and sticky across her shoulders) and the subtle sharpness she’d added to Nora’s teeth and saves.

She is far too happy with this drawing.

Izzy’s honestly  _ elated _ , looking at it. Sometimes she draws something and there’s this feeling of utter giddiness when in the process and it comes  _ back _ once it’s finished.

Of course, this is the fourth time she’s “finished” it, because every time she goes to post it she realizes she forgot something, or she wanted to add something else.

She finishes it another two times before it’s finally posted.

She’s pleased. Izzy is  _ so _ pleased with it. She waits for about five minutes, responding to a few early bird comments and then logging off happily.

It’s not until an hour later that she sees the explosion of notifications.

It’s not irregular. “ **Noragores** ” isn’t a little known username in the fandom.

But she’s scrolling through the sea of mentions and a lot of them aren’t actually on the art itself. In fact, she does a search on her own username and finds  _ even more _ comments of the like. It even floods down her timeline.

 

 **jenny** _@leonsnora_ : **all this fresh fandom created content mm bless users noragores cosfrays and wrobertsriting**

**klay’s boyfriend** _ @klayklayklay _ :  **did** **_@noragores @cosfrays and @wrobertsriting_ ** **plan to all upload at the same time today????? i’m so**

**leslie** _ @miklay _ :  **when the network sucks so maia clary and izzy take promotion into their own hands**

**jo** _ @jostansmika _ :  **we really got blessed with new content from three different creators within 10 minutes everyone say thank you talent**

**lena** _@pearljosette_ : **y’all im screaming do you think they planned to cause this much fandom panic**

 **mikey** _@lananora_ , replying to _@pearljosette_ : **their power!!!!!**

**lena** _ @pearljosette _ , replying to  _ @lananora _ :  **we stan 3 queens!!!**

**xing** _ @joboka _ :  **clary really uploaded today to heal our wounds from dungeons and that gore art**

 

Izzy’s  _ bewildered _ until she sees that not only has Dungeons updated, but  **@cosfrays** uploaded her ball gown Leonhard cosplay.

Suddenly she understands the hype.

Clary looks absolutely  _ enchanting _ in tomato reds and a black jewel laid above the valley of her breasts. Her corset is tied with gold string and dark bluegreen lace is stretched across the entire ensemble. There’s a large braid tied loosely over her left shoulder, thick orange strands peeking through dark locks of fake hair. She’s looking off somewhere next to the camera through Leonhard’s black-violet heterochromia.

Izzy feels her mouth go dry. She wonders if the orange hair is fake.

_ Dear god _ , she thinks as she sinks into the couch. She throws a pillow onto her face and presses against it slowly. Leonhard (Clary  _ as _ Leonhard) is fucking  _ gorgeous _ , and there is only so much Izzy’s bi heart can take. Apparently ball gowns and wigs are the limit.

Of course, that’s when she suddenly remembers Dungeons updated and she’s rejuvenated chucking the pillow somewhere into the kitchen and getting to the tab in record time.

She takes her sweet time reading, growing more and more horrified by the second.

When she finishes, her face is blank.

What the actual  _ fuck _ was that? 

She’s horrified. Angry. Absolutely  _ appalled _ .

So, naturally, she tweets about it, as stan twitter users do.

**izzy** _ @noragores _ :  **user wrobertsriting send location i just wanna talk**

It doesn’t take long for a new notification to pop up.

**maia** _ @wrobertsriting _ , replying to  _ @noragores _ :  **dont act like youre not guilty too!**

**izzy** _ @noragores _ , replying to  _ @wrobertsriting _ :  **you put separation angst /AND/ a character death i am destroyed**

**maia** _ @wrobertsriting _ , replying to  _ @noragores _ :  **you made a drawing with nora eating her lover’s guts. you SHOULD feel bad**

Izzy mulls it over, smiling to herself. She did, didn’t she? That  _ is _ appropriately angsty. Her eyebrows raise at another  _ ping! _ from her phone.

**clary** _@cosfrays_ , replying to _@wrobertsriting_ and _@noragores_ : **both of you are horrible people case closed**

**maia** _ @wrobertsriting _ , replying to  _ @cosfrays _ and  _ @noragores _ :  **you uploaded a picture of yourself in a corset dressed like leonhard to a fandom full of gays**

**clary** _ @cosfrays _ , replying to  _ @wrobertsriting _ and  _ @noragores _ :  **oops**

**izzy** _ @noragores _ , replying to  _ @cosfrays _ and  _ @wrobertsriting _ :  **dick. i screamed into a couch cushion**

**jay** _ @steponmejo _ , replying to  _ @noragores @cosfrays _ and 1 other :  **so confirmation that y’all planned this to kill us all?**

Izzy stops. To act like they were coordinated enough to plan this or to tell the truth?

It seems Maia and Clary were questioning what to do as well, because soon, Clary replies with a simple “ **;)** ” and Izzy has a group DM request from one  **@cosfrays** . She taps accept.

**clary** : nice to meet you fellow fandom wreckers! im clary, she/her pronouns. how are you guys?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they finally talked!!! i actually had so much fun writing luke and clary's dynamic???? i stan one father-daughter duo
> 
> also: i've been making some drawings of what clary's cosplay looks like and it's taking way too long to finish. i wanted to upload this chapter along with the art but i've already postponed this chapter a week or two now. so! the art will come eventually i hope
> 
> talk to me on twitter @[coffeemundane](https://twitter.com/coffeemundane)!


	3. author's note

hi! 

so i just wanted to say that i'm putting this on hold for now?

i went into this project rather impulsively and never drew up much of an outline. as a result, i didn't really know where to go very early on (well, duh. we're two chapters in and i'm writing this lmao)

i wanted to say sorry and thank you so much for your kind comments! i hope that i really will write this au completely one day soon, starting with an outline first. 

i'll keep these two chapters on my ao3, and when/if (hopefully when!) i decide to continue, i'm not sure if i'll write from hear on or rewrite the beginning as well.

thank you all so much for your support, i love you!! i just wanted to put this out there because it really doesn't seem like i'll write another chapter anytime soon.

i love you, thank you <3

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! probbaly not gonna have a posting schedule sorry :( next chapter coming whenever i get off my ass and write it
> 
> talk to me on twitter @[coffeemundane](https://twitter.com/coffeemundane)!


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